The Lightsaber
by T.J. Strauss
Summary: Pre-TPM, An Aro & Del fic. They're on Naboo so Aro can get crystals to build a new lightsaber, but he gets posessed by a Dark Jedi's spirit and they're both hunted by a group of mysterious Jedi. Ch. 8 is up, and there's an important note at the end!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
The sleek, dagger-shaped small ship called The Guardian skimmed down along the planet surface. Light grey mist completely surrounded her, obscuring almost everything through the main viewport.  
  
"Can you sense anything?" asked a deep voice that belonged to the Jedi Master known as Del-Mon Wesia.  
  
Del-Mon was a tall, strong man in his mid-forties. His hair was a light brown, and was shoulder length and tied back. His soft green eyes did not move as he cruised through the mist. He knew the answer to the question he had just asked, but wanted to test his companion.  
  
Next to him, a higher voice replied, "Yes. There is… A boulder, about a meter to the right. It will hit the right wing unless you pull up about… Four meters."  
  
The new voice was the one of Aro-Ken Rumos, Del-Mon's Padawan learner.  
  
Del-Mon eased up on the controls, and could sense how close they came to the boulder Aro-Ken spoke him of.  
  
Unlike Del-Mon, Aro-Ken's brilliant blue eyes flicked about the viewscreen even though he could only see trees they passed when they were about two meters from the viewport. His Master was testing him, and from the looks of it Aro-Ken was doing well.  
  
He lifted a hand and brought his long, thin braid of brown hair behind his right shoulder. The rest of his hair was evenly short all over his head, except for the ponytail in the back of his head that was an inch or two in length. Aro-Ken was nearly thirteen, and his build was muscular for such a young age. Most Human girls he knew thought he was very attractive.  
  
Del-Mon was skillfully piloting their ship on the planet Naboo, from what Aro-Ken remembered. They were flying low over swampy marshland. It was early morning, and the fog was slowly lifting.  
  
Aro-Ken couldn't contain a yawn as they shot along. Although he would usually be up this early, he reminded himself that Naboo had a different night and day cycle than that of Coruscant. Back on his familiar homeplanet in the Jedi Temple, he'd normally be asleep at this time.  
  
As the fog gradually lifted, Aro-Ken saw no change in the lighting. He looked near the top of the viewport, and saw that the sky was very dark. There would be a storm soon. He wondered if Del-Mon would still make him carry out the mission he'd kept a secret so far if the weather turned foul.  
  
As if to answer his question, lightning flashed, and he could faintly hear thunder.  
  
"Are we-"  
  
"We're not turning back. A storm like this will be the least of your worries," Del-Mon said, answering Aro-Ken's question before he had finished asking it.  
  
His worries? Why hadn't Del-Mon said "our worries?" What was this strange, mystery mission they were on?  
  
As Aro-Ken's mind continued to race, Del-Mon said, "It should be just up here."  
  
The Guardian abruptly turned until she was perfectly vertical, and then narrowly slipped between two large trees. Aro-Ken jumped, and his heart sped up a little, but Del-Mon calmly sat there and straightened the ship out again once they had passed.  
  
Finally, they began to drift to the ground. It felt like Aro-Ken was in a turbolift as Del-Mon activated the landing struts and put The Guardian down on solid ground again.  
  
"Let's go," the older Jedi said, rising.  
  
Aro-Ken followed him as Del-Mon activated the hatch. They went down the landing ramp, and Aro-Ken found that his boots sunk slightly on the terrain.  
  
Instantly he felt the wind blowing, making his robe billow about. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by roaring thunder. He felt rain begin to fall. He squinted and peered through the fog, but all he could see was trees.  
  
"Master, where are we?" he asked. So far, Del-Mon had failed to mention not only where they were, but why they were there as well.  
  
"We are on Naboo, in the swamps. It's quite a distance to any city. Have you figured out why we are here yet?" Del-Mon replied.  
  
Aro-Ken shook his head. "No, Master."  
  
Del-Mon began walking, and Aro-Ken had to jog slightly to keep up with his long strides.  
  
"What have you been without for the past four months?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"A lightsaber? Am I going to get another lightsaber?" Aro-Ken eagerly asked.  
  
During a previous conflict, when Shadowraiths had invaded the Jedi Temple, Aro-Ken had lost his lightsaber. He'd thrown it at one that was about to kill Del-Mon, causing it to lose its balance and fall down a turbine shaft. Aro-Ken had assumed his lightsaber was destroyed.  
  
"In a way. You're here to get crystals for your lightsaber. You all ready have the handle ready, but you'll need crystals to make it work," Del-Mon said.  
  
"Why aren't we on Ilum? Isn't that usually where Jedi go to get lightsaber crystals?" asked Aro-Ken, speaking of the icy world that held mysterious crystal caverns.  
  
"Yes, but I know of a cave here that you can also use. It is where my master took me, and I took my two former Padawans. It's just as good as Ilum," Del-Mon replied as they walked.  
  
Rain began to fall, spattering on his head and robe in large drops. Aro-Ken put up his hood and slightly bowed his head to keep the rain out of his face as they walked. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees, whipping his Jedi robes about his body.  
  
He could hardly see ahead of him in the darkness. He could just barely make out Del-Mon's silhouette ahead of him. As the lightning flashed, Aro-Ken could see that the fog had lifted, but it still did nothing to improve visibility in the area.  
  
"This way," Del-Mon said, turning.  
  
Aro-Ken went a little faster and arrived at his master's side.  
  
"There," Del-Mon said, pointing ahead.  
  
Aro-Ken squinted, and could barely see a huge tree, by far bigger than the rest in the clearing. At the bottom, near its huge roots, there was an opening.  
  
"Come, Padawan," Del-Mon instructed, striding towards it. He jumped, and disappeared down the opening.  
  
Aro-Ken looked down, and found he could not see the bottom. Hesitantly, he jumped down as well.  
  
He discovered the drop wasn't that big after all, only about four meters. He landed on his feet, and looked around.  
  
Rain still fell down the opening, and Aro-Ken stepped aside to avoid it. Instantly the howling wind was gone. He came to Del-Mon's side.  
  
Squinting around, he could barely see anything. A flash of lightning occasionally illuminated the mouth of the cave, and he then saw that the sides of the cave were made of earth. They were kept from collapsing by thick tree roots.  
  
"Aro-Ken, you will have to do this alone. Down that tunnel is an underground pool. It is at the bottom of the pool that you will find the crystals you need. The ones surrounding the pool will not help you, so do not use them," Del-Mon explained.  
  
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken nodded.  
  
"On your way there you will encounter apparitions, ones that are summoned by your fears. Do not fight your fear, or use it as a weapon. If you wish to be a Jedi, fear is a thing you must learn to accept and control," Del- Mon said.  
  
Aro-Ken nodded, still trying to see further into the tunnel. "Should I use a glowrod?" he asked.  
  
"No," Del-Mon answered. "You must do this using only your skills as a Jedi. I had to do it, and my other two Padawans did as well."  
  
"All right, Master," answered Aro-Ken.  
  
"Remember, when you get the crystals, take your time assembling them. If you rush, your weapon will be made incorrectly," Del-Mon reminded him.  
  
"Yes, Master, I understand," Aro-Ken nodded.  
  
"Then go. I will be here when you return," Del-Mon said.  
  
Aro-Ken turned towards the darkness that was the tunnel. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he strode forward, without looking back. 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: I'm REEEEEALLY sorry for any confusion! Once again, the Talon chapter was supposed to go in a different fic, and has nothing to do with this fic!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Del-Mon watched as Aro-Ken was consumed by the blackness. He knew his Padawan had been trying to hide his anxiety.  
  
He remembered his own trip down the tunnel, how his darkest fears had confronted him, making him want to turn back. He knew that Qui-Gon Jinn and Taralla Nubikk, his former apprentices, had done the same. He could tell without asking.  
  
Calmly, Del-Mon sat on the cold ground, crossing his legs. He was soon deep in meditation. Taking deep breaths, he allowed himself to connect with the living Force.  
  
He could feel it moving about him in every rock, every leaf, every individual blade of grass outside the cave. He sensed the energy flowing from tree branches and gusting wind. He could pinpoint every movement around him.  
  
Del-Mon could feel himself become a part of his surroundings. He felt the billowing wind in his hair, felt the cool rain on his skin, could smell the humidity that strongly lingered in the air.  
  
Suddenly, a face pierced into his visions, covering everything. A face he hadn't seen in a long time. It was all he could see. It disrupted him, severing his connection to the living Force.  
  
With a start, Del-Mon jumped, losing his calm state. He was on his feet in an instant, looking around.  
  
He still saw the face, but not as big. It was connected to a body now, which faded away at the waist. The apparition was tinted a light blue.  
  
The body was that of a man. His height and build was similar to Del-Mon's. His hair was down to the tips of his ears and tied back in a short ponytail. He was young, probably about twenty. The color of his eyes were undistinguishable with the blue tint, but they were intense and sharp, seeming to be able to pry deep into the depths of a soul. At the moment they had a confused look on them, as though the mind was racing.  
  
Del-Mon gasped. He recognized the person. He'd thought long ago that he never would have to look into those cold, vehement eyes again.  
  
Now a voice came, a rasping yet deep voice. It was such a voice that suggested pure evil from the one that produced it. It whispered, yet still echoed in Del-Mon's mind, bouncing about and repeating itself over and over until the Jedi was sure he had to scream to free himself from its curse. It crawled down the hallways, seeming to flow and seep into every corner, completely inescapable.  
  
"Come to the Dark Side. Its power far exceeds yours. Let the darkness have you, become its servant. Do its bidding. Release your anger. Attack your fear. Drive it from your mind… Your mind…"  
  
"No!" Del-Mon allowed himself to cry. "It's not true! It's not true! Don't listen to him!"  
  
This was exactly what he had said those five years ago, and he heard the same words an instant after he said them, his own voice echoing about like the Dark Lord's had.  
  
The speaker was not visible, but the apparition was looking in the direction that Del-Mon could tell the voice was coming from.  
  
Why was this happening? Why did he have to see the most painful memory he had once more? This was his Padawan's mission, not his. This had not happened on his trips with Qui-Gon and Taralla.  
  
The appearance's face was changing from a look of confusion to one of admiration and greed.  
  
"Take the lightsaber. Join the Sith. We will rule the galaxy together! None shall stand against us!" the voice said, seeming to flow about the tunnel.  
  
"No! Stop! Don't do it, he's lying!" Del-Mon shouted, trying to block the cold voice from his ears.  
  
The handle of a lightsaber appeared, floating in front of the phantasm, who reached out and grasped it.  
  
"NOOOO!" Del-Mon yelled, sinking to his knees.  
  
"Good, good! We will make you a Sith Lord. As for him-" Del-Mon knew who the voice was speaking of, but knew that this was just a memory, his own past haunting him. No harm could come to him, but he almost wished it would. He could not stand to see his failure again. He knew he didn't save the other man five years ago, and he couldn't now.  
  
"Strike him down, and your journey to the Dark Side will begin," said the voice.  
  
"No, no! It can't happen again! I could have stopped it, I should have done something! It's my fault, it's all my fault!" cried Del-Mon, holding his head in his hands. He allowed a tear to drip down his cheek.  
  
A crimson blade suddenly extended into the air. It was the only part of the apparition that was not blue. The other man had charged at him, as the Dark Lord had bid, swinging and thrusting angrily.  
  
"The Light Side is weak, fool! My new master is right, all Jedi must die!" he shouted.  
  
The blade of the apparition went through Del-Mon, but he could still feel pain, the agony of the horrible memory, hitting him. In reality, five years ago, Del-Mon had been unarmed and completely helpless. He'd been dealt several killing blows, and had been so close to death that he could feel its cold darkness eating at his mind, taking over his senses, severing his connection to the Force. He had that same cold feeling now.  
  
"No… No…" Del-Mon sobbed.  
  
The apparition suddenly stopped slashing, his blade inches from Del-Mon's throat.  
  
Seeing his failure again, the memory he had sworn to destroy, made him wish the blade were real, almost destroying his will to live.  
  
Just as the blade was pulled back, ready to be plunged into his throat, there was the sound of an explosion. Though the stable ground of the cave did not tremor, he could feel the vibrations in his mind, the vividness of the horrible memory shocking him. He thought he'd forgotten it long ago. Why did he feel it so well, recall every detail perfectly?  
  
It was then that the cold voice said, "Let death take him. We must go."  
  
The blade was brought so close to Del-Mon's face that he could feel the heat even though it was not real.  
  
"Darkness will always prevail," said the man in a cold voice. The transformation from light to dark had happened so fast.  
  
Del-Mon was racked with sobs as the vision disappeared. He didn't even try to find his calm center, made no effort to control himself.  
  
Now he remembered all too well what had happened next. The huge ship they were on had fallen under attack by a fleet sent by the Senate to rescue him. A team of other Jedi had found him just in time, and saved his life. It had taken him a long time to completely recover. All the medics said he should have died. He almost wished he had. For now he was cursed to hold the memory of his failure for eternity.  
  
He was told that another Jedi on the team was killed during the rescue effort, struck down by the man, encouraged by his new master.  
  
Del-Mon felt nothing but grief, tearing at every cell in his body.  
  
Why hadn't he stopped the other man from turning? He could have, he knew it. It was his fault, all his fault, that his brother had become Darth Kovick.  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever!  
  
And, once again, I apologize for the messed up chapter thing! 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: I'm REEEEEALLY sorry for any confusion! Once again, the Talon chapter was supposed to go in a different fic, and has nothing to do with this fic!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Within a few seconds, Aro-Ken knew that Del-Mon was out of sight. Confidently he walked along, holding his composure.  
  
Suddenly, a person jumped out of nowhere.  
  
"Aah!" Aro-Ken cried, jumping.  
  
"Why do your choose this path?" asked the strange apparition, staring right at him.  
  
Aro-Ken nervously skirted the figure and kept walking.  
  
"The life of a Jedi is a very difficult one. Turn back," a woman who suddenly walked from the walls said. Aro-Ken noticed that she, like the man, was tainted blue.  
  
"It's not real, it's not real," Aro-Ken told himself. He kept walking on, pushing the voices from his head.  
  
This wasn't so hard. Only Jedi spirits and voices telling him to turn back that he could easily ignore.  
  
Even with his eyes adjusted to the dim light he could barely see ahead of him. Often he had to walk with his arms in front of him so he could tell where the tunnel turned.  
  
He turned a sharp corner in the tunnel, and found himself standing in front of a small pool. He could only see because of a thin sliver of light from above. Hanging just inches above the surface of the pool was a huge stalactite. From it, a single drop would fall about once a minute, the ripples it caused spreading out over the pool and echoing throughout the empty cavern.  
  
All around the pool were crystals, reflecting his image off of them, bouncing it about the room.  
  
Aro-Ken nervously looked around. Why had he been so worried about this? He'd had absolutely no reason to feel the least bit nervous.  
  
Confidently, he strode towards the pool. As he did, an image suddenly sprang from the pool. He jumped. He didn't know why, but this image startled him more than the others had.  
  
It was just a face at the start, the face of a woman. She had long, dark hair tied back out of her face, and in her eyes he could see a familiar look of intensity. He recognized her immediately, but knew it was impossible.  
  
"M-Mother?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
Aro-Ken had known his mother, Kariba Rumos, very well. She had been a Jedi Knight, but never did take a Padawan. She always told Aro-Ken that when he was old enough she would take him.  
  
Aro-Ken had lived with her and his father for about a year before he was brought to the Jedi Temple. When he came, his mother accompanied him.  
  
He saw Kariba often, and Aro-Ken had felt very close to her. She was away on missions a lot, but he still spent time with her when he could.  
  
There was a time when he didn't see her for nearly a year, when she had taken him to visit his father. When the time had come for them to return to the Temple, Kariba had decided to stay.  
  
He knew she had been a Jedi Knight though, and she had been killed on one of her missions, trying to rescue a friend.  
  
She did not speak like the other apparitions had. She looked at him, her expression impossible to read.  
  
The head grew smaller, and a body extended from it. Aro-Ken's mother was wearing a simple Jedi tunic and pants. She had removed her robe.  
  
Slowly, he extended a hand to touch her, completely entranced. His hand went nearer and nearer to her, and she reached out for him.  
  
All of the sudden, she spun around, an activated lightsaber in her hands. It was bright purple, the only part of the vision that was not blue. The blade cast a glow about the room that looked like that of a real lightsaber.  
  
She swung and thrust and skillfully moved her weapon to block, fighting a foe that Aro-Ken could not see.  
  
She jumped, twirled, and ducked gracefully, her lightsaber everywhere at once. Soon it was just a bright purple streak in the air. Aro-Ken had lost track of its movements as he watched.  
  
Transfixed, the boy watched as his mother's spirit fought with such skill. Her movements were like liquid, all of them smooth and seeming to flow together perfectly.  
  
So this was the side of his mother he'd never seen before, the legendary warrior. He'd imagined her skill to be great, but not like this.  
  
He could see she was sweating, and she had a few cuts on her arms. Her tunic was ripped in a few places.  
  
All of the sudden, she staggered backwards. Quickly, she fought to overcome the shock at her unseen opponent's move, but did not succeed.  
  
Aro-Ken's heart was racing. His mother had to win, she had to beat the other person. He felt small droplets of sweat break out on her forehead as he anxiously watched.  
  
As she managed to throw out a few sloppy blocks, trying to regain her composure, she suddenly went stiff, her face contorted with pain.  
  
A cold voice spoke up, one that Aro-Ken would never forget as long as he lived, no matter how hard he tried. "Darkness will always prevail."  
  
"NOOOOO!" Aro-Ken couldn't contain the cry.  
  
His mother slumped to the ground and fell over, lying completely motionless.  
  
So this was how his mother was killed. And he didn't even know who had murdered her.  
  
Even though the vision was not real, he still felt agony. He'd just lost his mother twice, and he was powerless to stop it both times.  
  
Aro-Ken allowed tears to freely fall down his cheeks. He knew that the vision existed only in his mind, but still he couldn't stop crying. He fell to his knees and held his face in his hands.  
  
He was just eight when the news came to the Jedi Temple. He could remember everything that had happened. He'd been walking down the hallway from the pool with Mannakri, Ada-Rin Remla, and Wolden Keld, his three best friends. They were all laughing and smiling, joking with each other.  
  
As they rounded the corner to return to their dormitories, Aro-Ken froze. He saw Jedi Master Jax Dondora standing outside his door, waiting for him. Instantly he knew that something was not right.  
  
His friends left, and he approached Master Dondora.  
  
"Aro-Ken, something has happened," Jax had said.  
  
Swallowing nervously, Aro-Ken said, "W-What is it?"  
  
"It's your mother… She has… She has been killed."  
  
Those words hung in his mind for all time. At the time, they echoed, the word killed stinging like a blow to the head.  
  
He'd allowed himself to cry freely, ignoring all his previous disciplinary training. He hadn't been the same for several days after the news.  
  
Suddenly, the kind face of his master appeared, jolting him from his thoughts. Slowly, Aro-Ken wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his tunic.  
  
"You must go on. Accept the truth. You have to live with every memory, even the ones most painful to you," said Del-Mon.  
  
Aro-Ken took a deep breath. "Yes, Master."  
  
Del-Mon's face smiled. "Good. Now meditate, find your calm center. Then collect the crystals you need."  
  
Nodding, Aro-Ken pushed the memory from his mind, clearing his head. He crossed his legs and sat on the ground, taking deep breaths.  
  
He felt the living Force around him, connecting to it. He knew where it gathered, sensed all movements.  
  
After a few minutes in his meditative stance, Del-Mon's gentle face reappeared. "Now go."  
  
Aro-Ken rose, finally calm again. He walked rigidly toward the pool without looking back. He removed his boots and shirt and put them aside at the edge of the pool, clothed only in his pants.  
  
Slowly, he put a foot down into the water. He shuddered, flinching when he discovered how cold the water was.  
  
Taking a few deep breaths, he walked forward, wading out into the pool. When he was up to his waist, still shuddering from the cold, he took a deep breath and dove, shooting under the water with hardly a splash.  
  
The cold instantly hit him, and he wished he was skilled enough to ignore it.  
  
He could faintly see the bottom. It was black rock or dirt of some sort.  
  
He kicked along, pulling with his arms in powerful strokes. He smoothly glided through the water, looking back and forth for the crystals he was to find.  
  
Aro-Ken finally spotted them out in the middle of the lake. They all grew together in clusters. He couldn't really make out their color in the dim light. He could tell each crystal was about a meter tall, and knew he'd only need a small fraction of one or two to complete his lightsaber.  
  
He drew a small vibroblade from his belt that his master had given to him before they landed and activated it, surprised to see that it worked underwater.  
  
As he reached out to cut a piece away, he heard a voice say, "Stop!"  
  
Right away, another face appeared before him. Aro-Ken was startled, and abruptly let out his breath, watching it float away from him in a group of bubbles.  
  
Knowing he had no chance of holding his breath long enough to get the crystals, he kicked up to the air. He surfaced abruptly, taking a few deep breaths.  
  
What was that apparition all about? He hadn't gotten a good look at it, but he didn't think it was of a person he knew.  
  
After managing to control his breathing once more, getting over his sudden shock, he dove underwater once more.  
  
He went straight down this time, knowing that the crystals should be directly below him.  
  
As Aro-Ken neared the crystals, he suddenly felt cold, but knew that it wasn't because of the water. He was used to its temperature. It was more of a feeling within his body that ran through his veins like ice and prodded at the back of his mind.  
  
The crystals loomed out of the darkness again. He reached for the vibroblade, but sensed something, a small sliver of movement to his side.  
  
Instantly he spun around to face it, and discovered a dark red lightsaber blade pointed at his face.  
  
Startled, he let some of his breath out again. He still could not see the apparition very well in the light, but it gestured to the surface with its lightsaber.  
  
Uncertainly, Aro-Ken shot up again, splashing to the surface and taking large gulps of air. If he kept getting scared and retreating to the surface he'd never get anything done, he scolded himself.  
  
Looking around, he suddenly saw someone standing at the shore of the pool. He jumped. He couldn't tell if this person was real or not because he was in color this time. He held the red lightsaber in his hand.  
  
"Come," a deep voice said.  
  
Aro-Ken's mind was racing. He didn't know what to do.  
  
"Now," the person said, a bit more forcefully. The voice was tinted with evil, he could just tell.  
  
He swam uncertainly towards shore, unsure of what the captivating power was that this strange apparition had over him.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Aro-Ken as he walked out of the pool, shuddering at the cold air.  
  
"I am Darth Voren, a Sith Lord, one of the most powerful to ever live," said the apparition. He was wearing a black robe, shielding his face.  
  
Aro-Ken noticed that the other man's reflection did not bounce about on the surrounding crystals like his own did.  
  
"So… What do you want with me?" Aro-Ken nervously asked.  
  
"Nothing much. Only to come to the Dark Side. You have great potential. I can offer you more power than the Light Side and your pitiful master could ever hope to," said Darth Voren.  
  
"You're not real. You've only been created from my mind," Aro-Ken confidently said.  
  
"Really? Prove that to me. Make me disappear. If what you say is true, it should be no trouble," the Dark Lord said.  
  
Aro-Ken closed his eyes, controlling his frustrations and angers and pushing the image of Darth Voren from his mind.  
  
But when he opened his eyes, he was still there.  
  
"Is that all you can do with your weak Light Side powers? Give in to your anger. If you really want me gone, fight me," Darth Voren said in a mocking voice.  
  
Aro-Ken closed his eyes, trying to find his calm center. He knew he could not believe what Voren said.  
  
"Strike me down, and we'll see which side is stronger," said Voren.  
  
"No. I will not give in to my anger," Aro-Ken confidently said.  
  
"We'll see about that," Darth Voren said, staring at him with a cold look in his eyes.  
  
Aro-Ken was so entranced by the eyes, trying to oppose them with a defying look of his own, that he barely caught the flicker of movement at Darth Voren's side.  
  
The Dark Lord's right hand flashed to his waist and unclipped a lightsaber from his belt. He swiftly flung it to Aro-Ken.  
  
Aro-Ken just barely noticed it in time to snatch the other lightsaber from the air.  
  
Darth Voren brought his weapon down towards Aro-Ken, and he instinctively activated the one he had caught, holding the red blade over his head. Voren hit it with such a force that he felt his arm vibrate.  
  
Right away Voren brought his weapon back and attacked again, and Aro-Ken blocked it.  
  
"You know you want to kill me. You have the ability to do it now," Voren said as he swung again.  
  
Aro-Ken blocked the attack once more. "No."  
  
Voren lashed again and again, this time not saying anything. Aro-Ken fought to control his anger as he defended himself. He jumped, ducked, and spun all around, using all his ability to stay alive. He didn't know if an apparition could kill him, and he didn't want to find out either.  
  
He fought the urge to turn and run. He knew he had to face this, finally realizing what his deepest fear was. The fear that he'd turn to the Dark Side.  
  
"Give in to your anger. Fight your fear," said Voren.  
  
Aro-Ken's mind was racing as he defended himself. What was the harm of doing it just this once? He had to get those crystals and leave.  
  
But if he did it once, then he'd surely do it again.  
  
No, no, he wouldn't, he assured himself. He'd be able to control it next time.  
  
Taking a last deep breath, Aro-Ken gave up the fight in his mind. He could feel his anger around him now, could feel it in his mind and flowing through his veins.  
  
He swung as hard as he could at Darth Voren, and his weapon collided with Voren's, the two red blades entangling.  
  
"Good, good. You feel your anger. Now use it again. See how much power it has given you?" asked Voren, obviously pleased.  
  
Aro-Ken tried his best to ignore him, and attacked again, fighting as hard as he could.  
  
"Yes, yes, don't stop. You are doing well," Darth Voren encouraged him.  
  
Aro-Ken lunged and thrust again and again, his red blade everywhere at once, just a blur in the air.  
  
As he struck again and again, the Dark Lord did not seem at all worried about losing the battle. Rather, he seemed happy with the fact. "Your anger is strong. Use it as a weapon. You have to destroy the fear. It will make you weak."  
  
Aro-Ken could still tell that Voren was trying to kill him, but knew that he wasn't fighting as hard as he could. But he ignored the fact, telling himself how well he was doing, suddenly believing Darth Voren's words.  
  
"Now let us see if you can do this a little faster," Voren said.  
  
Aro-Ken barely had time to react as Darth Voren jumped up as high as he could, flipping and landing behind Aro-Ken, who spun around and barely managed to stop the new attack.  
  
He felt himself becoming weaker. Sweat ran down his face, plastering his hair down. His muscles were burning.  
  
He staggered back and back from Voren's reeling blows, and felt his back hit the wall of crystals. He saw his face reflecting in them now. But it was different. In the dim light, he seemed that half his face had been consumed by darkness.  
  
Finally, he realized what he'd just done. He'd been so close to the Dark Side. As Darth Voren got ready for another attack, Aro-Ken saw the slight twitch in his shoulders that told him where the next attack would fall. Instantly he put his blade there.  
  
In a brief moment, he had blocked the attack, and found his calm center again.  
  
"What are you doing?" snapped Darth Voren.  
  
"What I never should have stopped doing in the first place," Aro-Ken coolly replied.  
  
"Attack me, strike me down!" Voren shouted as he lunged again.  
  
Aro-Ken blocked the attack, and moved his blade to where he knew the next one would fall.  
  
"No," the young Jedi answered.  
  
Voren attacked with a new fury, and Aro-Ken was more than prepared for the flurry of attacks. His blade was everywhere at once, stopping briefly to touch with Voren's before he moved it again to block another attack.  
  
He could feel Darth Voren's anger around him, and could feel it weakening. Just as Voren drew his blade back for another attack, Aro-Ken swung as hard as he could.  
  
The force of his attack knocked Voren's lightsaber from his hand. It skittered across the cavern floor, and rolled into the shallows of the pool.  
  
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Aro-Ken aimed his lightsaber at the Dark Lord's throat.  
  
"Yes, good. Now give in to your anger and kill me," Voren bade him.  
  
"No. I am on the Light Side, and I shall remain there," he firmly replied.  
  
He deactivated the lightsaber, flung it to the ground, and turned and walked back towards where he had dropped the vibroblade earlier.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a slight rustle of movement behind him. He turned, and saw Darth Voren charging at him, his lightsaber activated.  
  
Aro-Ken was completely powerless.  
  
He did not close his eyes, but allowed himself to shout as the blade was centimeters from his throat.  
  
The blade went straight down, but did not hurt. It went through his skin, and the rest of Darth Voren's image followed it, going inside his body. The vision vanished, leaving just a few wisps of silver vapor. A cold feeling instantly ran through Aro-Ken, chilling his blood and gnawing at his mind.  
  
Instantly he looked around, but saw no one else in the room. There was nothing but his own reflection on the crystals.  
  
Aro-Ken let out his breath, and leaned back and let his back hit the wall of crystals surrounding the pool.  
  
He allowed himself to slide down and sat on the ground, taking deep breaths and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He was exhausted.  
  
After he finally felt like he could go somewhere without collapsing, Aro- Ken started to pull himself up. As he did, he felt his hand fall on something metal.  
  
He looked down, and discovered it was the lightsaber he'd been fighting Darth Voren with.  
  
Suspiciously, he looked around. Why hadn't it disappeared with the rest of the apparition?  
  
It had been a very good weapon, he suddenly recalled. The handle had conformed to his grip instantly. Why did he have to bother getting the crystals himself when he could just take this lightsaber that was in perfect working order?  
  
Aro-Ken cast his imperfect lightsaber handle aside as he pulled on his tunic and fastened his belt, clipping the other weapon to it instead.  
  
He took a last look around the pool, and then jogged out of the cavern.  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever!  
  
And, once again, I apologize for the messed up chapter thing! 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time one my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said, on with the fic!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Del-Mon instantly rose to his feet as he heard his Padawan's footsteps in the cavern approaching him.  
  
He had been meditating, finding his calm center once more. He had managed to settle down. He knew he would never fully recover, but decided he had to try and accept the past.  
  
The Jedi saw a lightsaber hilt, fully assembled and clipped to Aro-Ken's belt.  
  
Del-Mon could sense something amiss. He had expected his Padawan to be happy or excited once his lightsaber was completed, but the Force told him otherwise.  
  
Instead he could sense mixed emotions emanating in the Force around the boy. He sensed fear, uncertainty, confusion, a small bit of anger, and anxiousness all encircling him.  
  
Curiously, Del-Mon nodded to the weapon at Aro-Ken's side. "Did you build that, Padawan?" he asked, a bit impressed at how quickly Aro-Ken had accomplished his goal.  
  
"Um… Yes, I suppose I did," the Padawan slowly, almost uncertainly answered.  
  
"Why don't you turn it on for me?" Del-Mon suggested.  
  
Aro-Ken unclipped the lightsaber from his belt slowly, almost as though he were stalling, trying to buy time.  
  
Before igniting it he held it out in front of himself and looked at it quickly, as though he had never really seen it before. The handle, like any other lightsaber, was cylindrical and grey, with a black grip near the bottom. The activation button was also black, standing out from the light grey. Next to it were a few various buttons, which could control the length of the blade and its power level.  
  
Catching himself quickly, Aro-Ken hit the activate button, and a long crimson blade extended with an electric snap-hiss sound. It cast a red glow about the cave, increasing the visibility slightly.  
  
Del-Mon could sense a different… Air, if you would call it that, about his apprentice. It was colder, somehow darker since when he had disappeared down the tunnel half an hour ago.  
  
Looking back at Aro-Ken, Del-Mon saw that he went into what looked like a trance. He stared at his red lightsaber blade with a gaze that appeared to be empty, but Del-Mon could tell he was focusing on something.  
  
"Aro-Ken? Aro-Ken, are you all right?" he asked.  
  
The boy did not reply, and he took a few steps forward, beginning to raise his lightsaber in a position that looked as though he was going to attack someone.  
  
"Aro-Ken! Aro-Ken! Snap out of it, Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon called his Padawan's name.  
  
Abruptly the boy froze and slightly shook his head.  
  
"Yes, Master?" he asked as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Aro-Ken, are you all right?" Del-Mon asked him, concerned for the boy.  
  
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Aro-Ken replied.  
  
Del-Mon dismissed the question with a shake of his head. "Never mind."  
  
Aro-Ken was definitely not himself. Del-Mon knew that for a fact, but the question was, did Aro-Ken know?  
  
Del-Mon couldn't be sure, but he had a suspicion that it was because of something that had happened in the cave, but it was not his place to ask his Padawan about occurrences in there.  
  
"Come along, Padawan, I've found a hotel we can stay the night at in Theed," he said.  
  
"All right, Master," Aro-Ken said.  
  
The two clambered out of the cavern, which had become slippery with all the rain and took a bit longer than anticipated.  
  
The storm was still raging. Torrents of rain poured down in soaking sheets. It was almost pitch black, except when blinding flashes of lightning would illuminate the scene briefly. Roaring thunder would then follow, ripping through the sound of the rain pounding against the two Jedi, the trees, and the muddy ground.  
  
As they walked amongst the mammoth trees that the swamps offered, there was a faint sound from behind them as the thunder roared like an angry tusk cat. Del-Mon just managed to hear it above the roar of the furious storm. He sensed something large approaching him from behind.  
  
The Jedi instantly spun around on his heel and saw one of the thick trees looming out of the darkness. It took a moment, but he then realized it was falling towards them.  
  
"Aro-Ken, look out!" he shouted as he ran out of the way.  
  
The boy faintly heard his master say his name and turned. "What was that, Master?" he shouted as he faced the man.  
  
Del-Mon swiftly pointed above his head, and the boy's eyes grew wide as he spotted the colossal tree falling towards the earth he was standing on.  
  
Quickly he dove aside, and the tree landed where he'd been standing a fraction of a second earlier with a loud crash.  
  
Aro-Ken got up out of the mud, trying in vain to wipe some of it from his robe as he made his way over to his master. Del-Mon had found the stump that the fallen tree had once been connected to.  
  
"What happened, Master?" Aro-Ken yelled above the raging winds that whipped his robes and his braid back and forth.  
  
"This tree did not fall naturally! We know lightning didn't hit it, and the wood isn't splintered! Somebody cut it down!" Del-Mon cried above all the noise.  
  
"I don't sense anybody else around us!" Aro-Ken commented loudly.  
  
"Neither do I, but they may be using mental shielding!" Del-Mon suggested.  
  
"What does that mean? Is someone trying to kill us?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"I don't know, but we must be cautious!" Del-Mon replied. "Let's get back to the ship quickly, before anything else happens! Don't let your guard down, Padawan! Let's go!"  
  
With that they took off through the murky swamp, going as fast as they could in the difficult terrain. They climbed over fallen logs, ducked low branches, and carefully avoided the rather large ponds that were indeed expanding with all the rain pounding down.  
  
A dazzlingly bright flash of lightning illuminated the swamp for a brief second, but it was all the two Jedi need to see their ship ahead of them.  
  
"We're almost there, Padawan!" Del-Mon cried.  
  
Aro-Ken put on a burst of speed as they neared their vessel. He grabbed one of The Guardian's landing struts to stop himself and started to enter the commands to bring down the boarding ramp. He had almost finished the sequence when Del-Mon, who had stayed back slightly, cried, "Look out, Padawan!"  
  
Aro-Ken stopped hitting the buttons. In an instant he had spun around with his new lightsaber activated. He didn't see the bolt flying at him, but knew where to position his lightsaber to block it.  
  
There was an electric crackle, and the bolt flew away into the foliage. Del- Mon arrived swiftly at his Padawan's side, side. The two looked at each other, and suddenly five bolts came streaking towards them from the surrounding trees and bushes.  
  
Instantly Del-Mon had his lightsaber out and the brilliant emerald green blade activated. The two spun swiftly about, seeming to be everywhere at once. They covered each other, Del-Mon blocking a shot at his Padawan's head while the boy deflected one coming at his Master's leg.  
  
Their lightsabers were moving so fast that they were just streaks of green or red in the air. It was hard to see who it was that was handling them so well.  
  
As the fight progressed, Del-Mon noticed something about his Padawan. He was fighting more aggressively than he needed to. He was deflecting their attackers' fire back at them rather than out of the way.  
  
"Aro-Ken, stop!" Del-Mon cried as a scream rang out from within the forest.  
  
His Apprentice did not seem to hear him as he continued to fight instead of defend himself. Another scream rang out.  
  
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon shouted above the roar of the storm. The boy was undoubtedly ignoring him now. There was no reason he shouldn't have heard him.  
  
As another scream rang out from where Aro-Ken's deflected bolt had disappeared, the shots suddenly halted. He could faintly hear footfalls within the foliage.  
  
Instantly Del-Mon turned on his Padawan, and he wasn't too happy. "Aro-Ken, what happened there?" he asked, managing to make his voice sound calm.  
  
Aro-Ken didn't answer. Del-Mon could sense anger around him. He had a strange look in his eyes.  
  
"Aro-Ken?" Del-Mon cautiously asked as he approached the boy, unsure of what was happening. Aro-Ken was looking past him, into the foliage behind him.  
  
Without a word he lifted his lightsaber, still activated, and threw it as hard as he could at Del-Mon's head.  
  
A shout escaped from Del-Mon's lips as he dropped to the ground, and the red blade disappeared into the forest. He didn't hear it hit a tree, but instead another scream pierced the air.  
  
Del-Mon's eyes went wide. What was going on?  
  
"Aro-Ken, get on The Guardian now and start her up," the Master instructed.  
  
Aro-Ken remained perfectly still. He seemed to be in a daze.  
  
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon cried.  
  
The boy jumped slightly upon hearing his name. "Huh? Er, yes, Master?" he asked.  
  
"I told you to start the ship. We will talk about your actions later," Del- Mon said.  
  
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken said, sounding a bit confused. He turned and finished opening the boarding ramp before walking up and disappeared inside The Guardian.  
  
Del-Mon then cautiously approached the area his Padawan had thrown his lightsaber. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he called.  
  
The pounding rain was lifting to a heavy drizzle, and it had become a bit easier to see. The thunder and lightning were very faint.  
  
As Del-Mon scanned the area, he saw a small patch of blood on the ground. Next to it was Aro-Ken's deactivated lightsaber. He bent down and picked it up.  
  
The instant he touched the handle, a cold feeling shot through him like a quick jolt of electricity. Del-Mon slightly jumped and dropped it without meaning to.  
  
Looking around warily, he saw no one else. He picked up the deactivated weapon, shuddering this time as the same cold feeling abruptly passed through his body. Slowly he clipped the lightsaber to his belt, and then turned back to the blood trail on the damp ground.  
  
For a short distance he followed it. He could hear a gasping, moaning sound of some kind up ahead as he made his way through the dense forest.  
  
He glanced over a fallen log, and saw a person on the ground, moaning and clutching her leg. She had black hair, dark blue eyes, and was clothed in black. When she spotted Del-Mon, she jumped to her feet right away, staggering on her injured leg.  
  
"What do you want?" she snapped.  
  
"Only to help you. That's a pretty nasty wound," Del-Mon said gesturing to her leg.  
  
"No thanks to that boy of yours," she furiously said.  
  
"Allow me to apologize for him. I don't know what got into him," Del-Mon sincerely said.  
  
"Well I do, and it could mean the end for us all," said the woman.  
  
"Who are you?" Del-Mon curiously asked.  
  
"I think the question is where am I," said the woman.  
  
"All right, where are you?" inquired the Jedi.  
  
"Gone," she said with a sly smile.  
  
Before Del-Mon could blink, she had seized something from her belt and dropped it to the ground. Just before it hit Del-Mon recognized it as a smoke grenade. He closed his eyes and held his breath just in time.  
  
Del-Mon remained where he was, waiting for the smoke to clear, which didn't take long in the light rain. As he'd expected, the woman was gone when he opened his eyes again.  
  
A bit irritated, Del-Mon made his way back to The Guardian, where he found Aro-Ken waiting at the boarding ramp.  
  
"Master, where were you?" the boy asked as his Master approached him.  
  
"Just looking around. Let's get out of here, it's not safe. Did you enter the coordinates for Theed?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken replied.  
  
"Good. Come on then," Del-Mon said. Aro-Ken followed him up the boarding ramp, which closed behind them.  
  
Less than a minute later they took off, streaking away over the treetops.  
  
However, both of them failed to notice the black-clothed figure on a speeder bike that followed them, weaving in and out of the trees just below them all the way to Theed…  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever! 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your reviews Lady Athielen, Katie Hayes, and Jacen200015! Sorry for that chapter mix-up thing, it's fixed now!  
  
I'm also reeeeally sorry about the delayed update! I've had a busy schedule lately, but I'm on spring break now, which should give me time to catch up.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Twenty minutes later, they had gotten clearance from Naboo Air Traffic Control to land in the public docking bays for the night. Del-Mon set The Guardian down, and they stepped out into the Theed streets.  
  
Aro-Ken intently looked around the new city as he stepped off the boarding ramp. The streets weren't very crowded for the time of day since it was still raining. The streets were wide, and lined with shops and cafés. The architecture was beautiful. The rooftops were mostly round and dome-like. Various arches made of white stone stood tall over the streets. The few people that were out were dressed in vivid, colorful clothing that made the city a cheerful-looking place.  
  
Aro-Ken silently followed his master down the street, putting his hood up once more to keep the rain out of his eyes. He wished he hadn't been wearing his robe when he'd fallen in the mud since he didn't have another and there was nowhere to clean it on the ship. It was growing heavy with all the rainwater and wet earth that clung to it.  
  
The boy tried to sense what Del-Mon was thinking, but he was shielding his thoughts too well. Was he angry with him? Disgusted? He certainly wasn't proud; Aro-Ken knew that for a fact. He sighed, knowing he'd find out in time.  
  
Del-Mon knew exactly where to go as he expertly navigated through the city. They arrived at the hotel quickly, and a doorman let them inside.  
  
They found themselves in a grand lobby. The ceiling was high, and made mostly of arched plexiglass that was transparent from the inside and aquamarine from the outside view. The walls were a light, creamy orange color. On the walls every few meters were pillars the same orange color as the walls. The floor was made of smooth, polished white stone. In the center of the room was a large fountain made of the same white stone. The water was tainted various shades by colored lights hidden along it. Along the walls, between every pair of pillars was a white desk with an attendant seated behind it.  
  
Del-Mon went to the nearest desk and gave the attendant his name.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Wesia, we've been expecting you! Right this way please," the man at the desk said.  
  
He led them over to the turbolifts, and Aro-Ken noticed someone swiftly step into the one next to them. It appeared as though they did not want to be seen.  
  
Aro-Ken turned to his Master, who nodded before the boy could say anything, indicating that he'd seen the person too. He made no sound, and gave no further reaction.  
  
Anxiously, Aro-Ken waited for the turbolift to stop, which seemed to take much, much longer than usual considering their room was only on the third floor. His hand strayed towards his lightsaber hilt clipped to his belt, getting ready incase he had to use it.  
  
The doors slid open, and Aro-Ken slightly tensed up, prepared to lunge forward with his lightsaber swinging, but there was no one in the corridor.  
  
Their steward nonchalantly entered the corridor, and the who Jedi followed, much more alert and more cautiously than their guide.  
  
Aro-Ken stopped to look around quickly. The hallway they were in was lined with a fine, expensive-looking carpet with red, black, and gold designs carefully woven. The walls were white, and the doors were all closed, most of them with a green light on the keypad to indicate that the occupants did not want to be disturbed.  
  
"Right this way, sirs," said the steward as he strolled down the hall.  
  
Del-Mon and Aro-Ken easily caught up with him, both of them wary of their surroundings. Neither wanted to take a chance after what had happened in the swamp.  
  
Aro-Ken glanced over his shoulder briefly, and saw no one. He didn't say a word to Del-Mon, but knew he was also on his guard.  
  
The steward showed them in to their room and handed them the passcard for it before happily leaving.  
  
"Be mindful, Padawan. It seems we have unknowingly made enemies in the past few hours," said Del-Mon.  
  
Aro-Ken didn't reply as he cautiously investigated their room. The carpet was soft, dense, and dark blue, and the walls were a slightly lighter shade. There were two sleep couches a few meters away from each other, the blankets both a light blue color. Just above them were lights so one could read or do something else in bed. An intercom system was on the wall between the two couches. The balcony of their room was hidden by a blue curtain. Next to the door they'd entered through was another door that presumably led to the refresher units.  
  
Afraid that Del-Mon would think him to be scared by seeing him checking the room, he waited until his Master's back was turned before quietly opening the closet door, finding that there was no one there.  
  
"I'm going to do some meditating, Padawan. I'll be on the balcony," Del-Mon suddenly said, making Aro-Ken jump.  
  
"All right, Master. I'm going to clean up," he said, quickly regaining his composure.  
  
Aro-Ken watched Del-Mon as he went onto the balcony; waiting for a blaster shot to ring out or for the snap-hiss sound of a lightsaber, but heard nothing.  
  
Assuring himself he was just being paranoid and that there was nothing to worry about, Aro-Ken opened the door to the refresher room. He found no one, as he'd expected, and laughed at himself for acting so cowardly. Confidently he entered the room, leaving the door open behind him.  
  
The room was quite ordinary, really. There was a counter on one side containing a sink and some soft, white towels, and a large mirror that spanned the rest of the wall above it. On the other side of the room was the shower, which was shielded from the room by a door with tinted glass.  
  
Aro-Ken removed his belt, setting it on the counter, and then pulled off his shirt to reveal his masculine chest. He knew many girls who would give anything to be in the room with him right now.  
  
Turning to the shower, he opened the door and turned on the water, deciding to let it heat up while he finished undressing.  
  
Aro-Ken turned to face the mirror again, and instantly froze. A deep purple lightsaber blade was leveled with his neck. Its holder wore a black tunic, pants, and boots. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Her hair was in the middle of brown and blond, and her eyes were an emerald green.  
  
"Move it, kid," she snapped, gesturing to the door of the refresher room.  
  
"What the- Who are you?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"That is of no concern to you. Hurry before the others show up," the woman said.  
  
"Others? What others?" Aro-Ken asked, hoping he could buy some time with whoever his captor was.  
  
"Never mind that, now move. And don't alert your Master," she said, beginning to walk towards the door. Aro-Ken was forced to move or be impaled by the woman's lightsaber.  
  
As the woman reached for the door, a shot suddenly rang out from the balcony. Before he could think about what was happening to Del-Mon, Aro-Ken quickly took advantage of his assailant's moment of confusion and swiftly sidestepped her.  
  
At the same time, his hand shot out and he summoned his lightsaber to it, igniting it in the same movement. Instantly the woman spun around to face him, and they prepared to duel.  
  
* * *  
  
Del-Mon closed the balcony door behind him, glad to see that it had stopped raining as he was seated on the balcony floor. He hadn't planned on meditating; he really just wanted to think about his Padawan's reaction in the swamp.  
  
He'd fought with the intention to kill. Del-Mon could see that. But the question was why? He'd seen Aro-Ken lash out once before, but it wasn't to kill someone, only to beat him in a lightsaber bout. His actions in the swamp seemed so unrestrained, like he wasn't even controlling his own actions.  
  
Somehow, Del-Mon had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with something that had happened in the cave earlier, perhaps something he'd seen that had provoked him or instructed him to fight like that.  
  
As he sat there, almost completely lost in his thoughts, there was a slight sound to his side. It sounded like someone charging a blaster.  
  
Instantly he was on his feet, facing the sound. He only saw a flash of what lay before him, a man clothed in black and armed with a blaster, before seizing his lightsaber and activating it.  
  
A split second later, the person fired three shots, which Del-Mon easily deflected.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded.  
  
The man in black did not answer as he continued to shoot. Within the hotel room, Del-Mon could hear two lightsabers activated and moving, quickly from the sound of it.  
  
He had to get to Aro-Ken, the boy was in trouble. And after what he'd done in the swamp, there was no telling what would happen in the room.  
  
Del-Mon weaved about, trying to move closer to the balcony doors as he did.  
  
All of the sudden there was a snap-hiss sound from behind him as another lightsaber was switched on. Del-Mon fought the urge to turn around, knowing that would surely get him shot.  
  
A voice from behind him said, "I'll deal with him, it sounds like they need some help inside!"  
  
"All right, you know where to go when you're finished!" the man said before darting through the balcony doors.  
  
Instantly Del-Mon whirled around, and a bright yellow blade clashed with his emerald green one.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked, quickly sizing up his opponent.  
  
She was not a very tall woman, probably just a few inches taller than Aro- Ken. Her hair was jet black, and she had deep violet eyes. She too was clothed in black.  
  
"To kill your apprentice, and you too if you resist. Simply allow us to take him, and you will not be harmed!" the woman said.  
  
"Never! I won't let you hurt my Padawan!" cried Del-Mon.  
  
"You're a bit late for that," said the woman with an evil looking smile as another shot rang out from inside the room.  
  
"Let's just settle this," Del-Mon angrily said, glaring at her.  
  
They drew their lightsabers apart, and they almost instantly clashed once more as they engaged in furious combat.  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? I know it's not that great, but please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever! Sorry I took so long with this chapter, I promise the next one will be up faster!  
  
And, once again, I apologize for the messed up chapter thing! 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your review, Jacen200015!  
  
Also, stuff in "" is speech, stuff in '' is thoughts. On with the fic!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
Back in the room, Aro-Ken was finding it increasingly difficult to fight in such an enclosed space. He couldn't move around his opponent without getting pinned to a wall while in the small hallway, and he couldn't jump very far with such a low ceiling.  
  
He was limited to short parries, and couldn't get much power behind a slash when he tried one. It seemed his opponent, whoever she was, was trying to get him pinned against the door behind him.  
  
Aro-Ken kept fighting, trying to force her back. He blocked, lunged, and ducked with amazing speed for a boy of his age. As the duel continued, he found he wasn't tiring. Rather, the battle seemed to be energizing him more. He did not aim to defend himself, instead to vanquish his foe.  
  
Aro-Ken decided to take a chance. He knew he'd be defeated if he continued to fight in such a restricted area. While the woman drew back for a lunge, the boy quickly released his lightsaber with one hand and jammed it on the door controls, making the door open. As she charged at him, Aro-Ken quickly moved aside, pressing himself against the wall. The woman ended up running into the hotel's hallway, and Aro-Ken followed.  
  
Their fight instantly resumed, but now it was faster than it had been in the confined little hallway in the hotel room. Some doors opened as curious guests came to see what the commotion was, and were almost instantly closed again when they saw the furious duel progressing before them.  
  
Aro-Ken couldn't tell why he was fighting so aggressively, nor could he seem to stop himself. He was using more force than necessary, swinging harder than he needed to and putting more than enough power into his attacks.  
  
Often when he used his lightsaber the Force guided his actions, but he could still control them. It seemed as though something had taken over his body as he fought.  
  
All of the sudden, as he was in the middle of a slash at his opponent's legs, Aro-Ken sensed movement to the side. His head snapped towards it, and he saw a man, also clothed in black, standing in the doorway of his and Del- Mon's room. The instant he looked at the man, he fired the blaster he was carrying.  
  
Quickly Aro-Ken jumped back to avoid not only the shot, but also a thrust from the woman.  
  
He heard her curse under her breath when she spotted the other man. Why was that? It looked like they were in the same group that was trying to kill him, so why would she be less-than-thrilled to see the other man?  
  
Aro-Ken quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind. He turned back to the woman, but she wasn't there anymore. She was running down the hallway away from him.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" the man with the blaster called, but she did not reply.  
  
To the side there was suddenly another shot, jolting Aro-Ken out of his thoughts. He was instantly facing it, and saw two more people clothed in black and armed with two blasters each. The boy quickly deflected the shot at one of them, but they managed to move in time.  
  
"Sith," Aro-Ken muttered as another shot rang out. This definitely would not end well.  
  
* * *  
  
Del-Mon and his nameless opponent forced each other back and forth along the balcony, the green and yellow blades clashing constantly. Their moves were perfectly sequenced; both lightsabers acting like extensions of their owners. Every move seemed to put them in a stalemate.  
  
The Jedi could tell his opponent was just as skilled as he was with her lightsaber. She'd obviously been trained at some point in her life. One would have to be to have such perfect control.  
  
More shots were heard from inside, and Del-Mon could tell they were coming from more than one blaster.  
  
"Why do you want to kill my apprentice?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"He is evil!" was his opponent's blunt reply as she slashed as his chest.  
  
Del-Mon blocked the attack and swept the other's weapon to one side.  
  
"Why is he evil?" he asked.  
  
"If you do not know by now, I will not tell you," replied the woman.  
  
Their lightsabers clashed once more, resulting in a standoff as his opponent tried to overpower Del-Mon, who firmly held his ground.  
  
Suddenly, in an abrupt movement, Del-Mon spun his lightsaber around while still pressing it against the woman's. Using the section of his weapon that was near the tip, he hit her weapon strongly, knocking it from her grasp. With the Force he instantly summoned it to his hand.  
  
Armed with both lightsabers, Del-Mon turned to his opponent. "Now tell me. What is happening to my apprentice?" he demanded.  
  
The woman glared at him menacingly but said nothing. She suddenly shot out one hand, shooting a small vibroblade from a hidden slit within her shirtsleeve. Del-Mon quickly ducked, taking his eyes off his opponent for a brief instant. When he recovered to a standing position, she was gone.  
  
Del-Mon ran to the edge of the balcony and peered over it, but saw no trace of black through the light rain.  
  
Cursing under his breath, the Jedi then turned back to the hotel room, bolting inside swiftly.  
  
"Aro-Ken!" he called. "Aro-Ken, I'm coming!"  
  
From the hallway he could hear the blasters still firing, and the electric thrum of a lightsaber.  
  
Del-Mon burst through the door and into the hallway just as a shout rang out. His head snapped towards the sound, and he instantly shouted, "No!"  
  
He saw Aro-Ken standing in front of one of his enemies with his crimson lightsaber blade halfway into his abdomen.  
  
* * *  
  
Aro-Ken's eyes went wide. He was rooted to the spot in shock. His mind was still processing what had just happened.  
  
He'd just killed a man.  
  
'Yes, very good,' said a voice in the back of his head.  
  
'No, this is horrible!' cried another. 'It is not the Jedi way!'  
  
'He was trying to kill you, it's perfectly fine,' said the other, calmer voice.  
  
'Fine? No it's not, you've just killed him!'  
  
Aro-Ken's mind was whirling as he yanked his lightsaber free and deactivated it. His brain faintly registered the sound of the other two people running off down the hallway as the dead man slumped to the ground.  
  
'Oh Gods, oh Gods, oh Gods,' the thought when he suddenly saw his master looking at him with a completely unreadable look on his face.  
  
"Get your shirt on, Aro-Ken," he said in a calm sounding voice.  
  
Aro-Ken couldn't move as he stared at his master.  
  
"Get your shirt on. We're leaving now," Del-Mon said, his voice expressionless.  
  
Quickly Aro-Ken went inside the room and retrieved his shirt, belt, and boots. They silently went to the Theed docking bays, and were in space a few minutes later.  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever!  
  
And, once again, I apologize for the messed up chapter thing! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your reviews, Lady Athielen and Katie Hayes!  
  
Another quick note: The Guardian is the name of Del-Mon and Aro-Ken's ship, which I have recently decided. I know it's not all that original, but oh well. I'm not very good at naming ships. Other chapters have been revised to put this new name into effect.  
  
One last thing: Stuff in "" is speech, stuff in '' is thoughts.  
  
Now, on with the fic!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Del-Mon sat rigidly in the pilot's seat of The Guardian. He didn't know what to say, or how to react to what had happened in the hotel on Naboo. Should he punish his Padawan? Simply talk to him? He had no idea. Nothing like this had ever happened when he'd trained Qui-Gon and Taralla.  
  
Aro-Ken was sitting in the copilot's seat next to him, and his mind was racing as well. Del-Mon didn't need the Force to tell that. After all, it was all that could be expected after an incidence like that.  
  
The Jedi's thoughts then turned back to the events in the hotel. He remembered the expression on his Padawan's face had been… Meaningless. He couldn't read it. It looked as though he'd been conflicting the matter in his mind, shifting between satisfaction and alarm.  
  
Finally, Del-Mon forced himself away from his thoughts. They had just left Naboo's atmosphere. He had to enter the coordinates in the navicomputer for the hyperspace jump to Coruscant.  
  
Once he had them punched in, he quickly threw the correct lever, and the stars around them became brilliant blue-white streaks around the viewport. Instantly they were shooting through space, going faster than the speed of light towards the capital city-planet of the Republic.  
  
Del-Mon leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply. The moment the jump had been engaged his thoughts had swarmed back to Aro-Ken. The boy was still had an anxious expression on his face, and the Jedi could sense his eyes on him now. Del-Mon began to wonder if he had even been aware of committing the act at the time.  
  
Finally, Del-Mon could stand the silence no longer. He turned his chair to face Aro-Ken, who started to look away, but stopped when his Master put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Aro-Ken… We must talk," Del-Mon calmly said.  
  
Almost reluctantly Aro-Ken turned his chair to face him again. "I know, Master," he agreed.  
  
"Your actions today have been unusual, to say the least. I'd like to know what caused them," Del-Mon said.  
  
"I… I don't know, Master," he admitted.  
  
Del-Mon could sense the boy was telling the truth. At least, he was trying to. "What do you think caused them?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, Master," Aro-Ken said again.  
  
"Aro-Ken, you killed one person, and would have killed two if your lightsaber had hit them a bit higher. Why did you do it?" Del-Mon inquired.  
  
"I'm sorry, Master, but I don't know," Aro-Ken insisted.  
  
"You're only telling me part of the truth, Aro-Ken. It is not the Jedi way to kill unnecessarily as you did today. There is a reason you did, and you have to tell me why. I can't help you if you can't tell me what the problem is," said Del-Mon.  
  
"Master… I… I'm not sure just what the problem is," Aro-Ken said.  
  
"Aro-Ken, we can't get anywhere if you lie to me," Del-Mon said.  
  
"I don't know, Master! I'm not lying to you!" cried Aro-Ken.  
  
Del-Mon sighed. It was getting hard to control his frustration. Whoever said Jedi had to always remain calm would have a score to settle with him. "Aro-Ken… Go to you quarters. I want you to meditate for a while. I will alert you when we are near Coruscant," he instructed.  
  
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken quietly said. Although it was not very severe, Del- Mon had never punished Aro-Ken before, and he felt a twinge of guilt as the boy unfastened his seat restraints.  
  
Once he sensed Aro-Ken was in his room, Del-Mon let out a deep breath and sank back in his chair, putting a hand on his forehead. What was he going to do? He had to find out what had caused Aro-Ken's actions, but how? It was not his place to ask what had happened in the cave on Naboo, though he deeply wished to. He could do a mind probe, but turned down that idea almost immediately. That method of obtaining information was only used as a last resort, short of mind control or manipulation and killing.  
  
Del-Mon rose from his chair restlessly and walked down the narrow hallway, deciding he should do some meditating as well.  
  
Just as he was keying in the proper sequence to open his door, The Guardian suddenly shook violently, making him stagger against the opposite wall. He heard a thump from the room next to his, and assumed it was Aro-Ken falling off his sleep-couch, where he liked to meditate.  
  
The ship continued to vibrate as it bucked and jumped, making it hard for Del-Mon to keep his footing as he took off for the cockpit. Behind him he sensed Aro-Ken stumbling out of his room as he attempted to follow his Master.  
  
"Master… What's going on?" Aro-Ken called to him over the sounds of things falling and rattling within the walls.  
  
"I don't know! It feels like we're being forced out of hyperspace! We have to shut off the engines before the hyperdrive overheats!" Del-Mon cried over his shoulder as he opened the door to the cockpit, which had automatically closed behind him.  
  
When it shot open, there was another violent tremor that rocked The Guardian. Del-Mon stumbled forward and managed to stay upright by wrapping his arms around the headrest of his seat. Behind him, Aro-Ken was not so lucky and was sprawled on the ground from the violent lurch.  
  
Del-Mon swung around the side of his seat and dropped into it. Through The Guardian's viewport he could see the star-streaks jumping from streaks to individual dots as she struggled to remain in hyperspace as it had been told. Aro-Ken managed to pull himself into the copilot's seat next to him.  
  
"Shut down the engines!" Del-Mon shouted to him. His eyes were flicking about across the dashboard as he tried to figure out what was causing this.  
  
"All of them?" Aro-Ken asked loudly.  
  
"Yes! Hurry, they'll burn out if they keep trying to go into hyperspace like this!" Del-Mon replied.  
  
Aro-Ken's hands extended over the numerous keypads and flew about as they flicked the appropriate switches and punched various buttons.  
  
The violent shaking halted abruptly. The stars returned to specks. Everything seemed normal, but Del-Mon knew it wasn't.  
  
"All right. Now slowly power up the sublight engines and the repulsors," Del-Mon quietly said, not taking his eyes away from the instruments he was studying.  
  
Aro-Ken did this, and the engines slowly hummed to life.  
  
Del-Mon saw nothing out of the ordinary, short of the fact that the engines were overheating, and turned his attention to the open space beyond the viewport.  
  
"There!" he said, pointing to the far right.  
  
Aro-Ken followed his Master's extended finger and saw what he was gesturing to. A large asteroid was lumbering through the space in front of them. They would have hit it had they not come out of hyperspace when they did.  
  
"What's going on? There's no asteroid field around here, the navicomputer would have picked it up when I put in the coordinates," said Aro-Ken.  
  
"It must have broken away from whatever field it was a part of. But this still doesn't make sense…" Del-Mon trailed off. He took the controls in his hand and turned the ship in the direction of the asteroid.  
  
"Look!" Aro-Ken cried at the exact instant Del-Mon spotted it. There was a large, triangular ship near the asteroid, and the space rock was heading straight for it.  
  
"It looks like a small battle cruiser. But what's a battle cruiser doing out here?" asked Aro-Ken.  
  
"It's no coincidence. It can't be. That ship must be using its tractor beam to pull the asteroid towards them," Del-Mon realized.  
  
"Why would they want to do that?" Aro-Ken curiously asked.  
  
"There's no reason a ship would want to take an asteroid aboard. I think they were waiting for us," Del-Mon said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"This can't just be a random coincidence. That ship was trying to get someone out of hyperspace with that trick. An asteroid that size brought across a hyperspace path at an exact moment would bring them out right away. It takes a lot of planning to pull off something like this," explained Del-Mon.  
  
"But who are they?" Aro-Ken wondered aloud.  
  
"I don't know. I've heard of pirates using this technique, but they usually go for bigger ships than ours. They have no reason to try and take our ship. We don't have anything of value, unless they're planning on holding us for ransom," said Del-Mon.  
  
"What happens now?" asked Aro-Ken, nervously eyeing the large ship.  
  
"Now chances are they either try to disable us with an ion blast, or they release their fleet to do that instead," Del-Mon said.  
  
Both of them watched the ship before them, Del-Mon ready to maneuver the ship if worse came to worse.  
  
Suddenly, a small hatch opened from the side of the small cruiser. About a dozen small fighter ships were ejected from it, and they instantly began to fly at Del-Mon and Aro-Ken.  
  
"Aro-Ken, stay here and fly! I'm going to the gun turret," Del-Mon cried as he scrambled out of his chair. He'd quickly decided that he'd rather not trust Aro-Ken in the gun turret for a while.  
  
Aro-Ken did not reply as he rose and clambered into the pilot's seat.  
  
Del-Mon ran down to the end of the short hallway where it branched off, his and Aro-Ken's quarters to the left, the 'fresher to the right, and a ladder directly in front of him that led to both the upper and lower gun turrets. Del-Mon quickly decided on the upper one and went up the ladder as fast as he could.  
  
He threw himself into the chair, not even bothering to strap himself in as he grabbed put on his headpiece so he could speak to Aro-Ken in the cockpit.  
  
The Jedi grabbed the controls to the large gun and pivoted the seat around so he was facing his enemies. Then was the tense period of waiting while the dozen fighters came towards them.  
  
* * *  
  
Back in the cockpit, Aro-Ken could see the small fighters in greater detail now as he quickly tightened the restraints to fit his smaller body and adjusted the seat height so he could see out the viewport. They were shaped like arrowheads he knew people had used millenniums ago to hunt with. They were curved on the top and bottom and came together to a point along the sides. If need be, one of them could easily ram another ship as a kamikaze because of the pointed design. The ships were a very dark grey so that they almost but not quite blended in with the surrounding blackness of space. It looked like they each had only one gun turret, but that was probably back by a turbolaser and a small ion cannon for a ship of such size. He couldn't see any of the pilots as the cockpit viewports were made of deeply tinted transparisteel to that one could barely make them out from the rest of the hull.  
  
The ships were approaching rapidly, so Aro-Ken assumed they had good sublight engines. They would probably be very maneuverable, but so was The Guardian, Aro-Ken reminded himself.  
  
He then thought for a moment. Pirates didn't have ships of this class. They would be more battle-worn, and almost definitely have more visible firepower.  
  
He jammed down the intercom button that linked to the gun turret to alert Del-Mon of his observation. "Master, these aren't pirate vessels. It doesn't fit," Aro-Ken said.  
  
His Master's voice answered him quickly, the words faintly eaten with static. "You're right. It must be the people from the hotel on Naboo. Who else would want to kill us?" he wondered aloud.  
  
"That's it! Shall I try and get a comm connection with them?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"No, I don't think bargaining will do any good with whoever these people are. Aro-Ken, I want you to divert half the power to the shields, a quarter to the engines, and a quarter to the lasers in the upper gun turret. When you need to take evasive maneuvers, I want you to try and get below the fighters. I only want to disable them," Del-Mon instructed.  
  
Keeping his eyes fixed on the viewport before him, Aro-Ken did this. The fighters were almost upon them, and were moving into attack formation. "Wait until I tell you before you start maneuvering," Del-Mon said.  
  
Rigidly, Aro-Ken gripped the controls. The Guardian was headed straight for the small phalanx of fighters with nowhere to run in her crippled state. Things didn't look very good.  
  
Then the fighters attacked.  
  
They swooped down suddenly in groups of two, accelerating quickly. Several blasts of green lasers came from the gun turrets and turbolasers near the cockpits, but they flew harmlessly through the space that The Guardian had been a moment ago.  
  
The moment the fighters had attacked, Aro-Ken had gone into a spiraling dive, weaving in and out of the laser fire. He saw red shots coming from above the cockpit, and knew that Del-Mon was firing back.  
  
They flew along beneath one of the fighters briefly, and a shower of sparks and shrapnel suddenly rained down as one of Del-Mon's shots hit its mark, the engine. The ship he'd hit was now disabled.  
  
Aro-Ken was not distracted for long. Instantly his mind was back on the battlefield. He made a hard U-turn and shot towards the remaining eleven fighters. He steered down at the last possible second, just before a barrage of laser fire was going to hit him. More shots came from above, but the enemy ships managed to scatter before Del-Mon could hit any of them.  
  
Aro-Ken flew in a wide arch back towards the fighters. His mind suddenly registered the fact that there were only ten ships in the cluster waiting for him.  
  
Briefly he glanced at the scanners, and saw that the other one was on his tail, intrepidly chasing after him. Just as it fired Aro-Ken veered to the right, the laser blasts heading out into empty space.  
  
"There's one after us!" Aro-Ken shouted into the intercom as he faked going right and abruptly steered to the left.  
  
"Keep flying, Aro-Ken! I'll try and handle him. Don't let any of them get under us, I think by now they've figured out that the bottom gun turret isn't occupied!" Del-Mon quickly replied.  
  
Aro-Ken tried to do what Del-Mon had said, but it wasn't easy. His Master managed to disable another ship from above, and it was left to drift through space until the cruiser that had dispatched it decided to come pick it up.  
  
The boy suddenly got an idea as he weaved between three of the enemy ships, just barely avoiding more laser fire.  
  
"How strong do you think their shields are, Master?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. They're very fast, so I would imagine not very. How is this pertinent to the matter at hand when we all ready have a method of getting them?" Del-Mon asked as he fired some more shots. One of them hit a ship near its rear, and there was a small explosion.  
  
"I'm going to try something!" Aro-Ken simply replied. Quickly he gained speed, rapidly flying at a group of two fighters hovering in wait for him. He went into a series of barrel rolls to avoid their laser fire.  
  
When he was too close for them to aim at very accurately, he still continued to spin.  
  
"What are you doing, Padawan?" cried Del-Mon. He managed to hit one of the other ships near the rear, on the left side, disabling its ability to turn. The other ship was still fully operational.  
  
"Don't worry!" Aro-Ken replied. He didn't change his tactic. Keeping one hand on the flight controls, he used the other to power up the port shields.  
  
Suddenly, as he was nearing the other ship, heading straight at it, he felt a sudden urge to continue flying, which would surely get him killed when he collided with the other ship as it hadn't moved at all.  
  
'What are you doing?' half of his brain screamed at him. 'Get a hold of yourself!'  
  
The other half made no comment, but Aro-Ken found himself fighting to move the joystick.  
  
"Padawan!" Del-Mon shouted through the comm unit.  
  
The yell snapped him out of whatever daze he'd been in. Quickly he guided the joystick more to the right, still spinning the ship.  
  
The other ship didn't realize his plan until it was too late. Aro-Ken's portside wing clipped the other ship. It wasn't a hard it, but since the enemy had such weak shielding, it was enough to send it spinning out of control through space.  
  
The instant this happened he raced to power the shields back up, but wasn't fast enough. Another enemy ship who had been flying in from the side fired, hitting them right where the hyperdrive was. The ship rocked back and forth  
  
Alarms began flashing and whirring as Del-Mon disabled the ship that had hit them.  
  
"What happened?" the older Jedi asked. "How are the stats?"  
  
Aro-Ken briefly looked them over. "We're still in one piece, but another hit to that area of the shields will go right through it. It's like trying to block a laser with a scrap of durasheet," he replied.  
  
"Be more careful, Aro-Ken. Don't let them sneak up on you like that, you have to be more aware," Del-Mon said.  
  
Aro-Ken didn't reply. There were still seven fighters left to take care of.  
  
As he turned back towards the large group, another one swooped in from the side, firing repeatedly and forcing Aro-Ken to take evasive maneuvers as it fell into line behind him.  
  
A shot hit them on the starboard wing and The Guardian shook violently, making Aro-Ken's flying go crooked temporarily.  
  
He quickly straightened himself and began to zigzag quickly, the rest of the shots missing him.  
  
Up ahead, he saw another ship waiting to fire. Aro-Ken was hit with an idea so crazy it just might work. He accelerated swiftly, hoping that the pilot behind him wasn't paying attention to their scanners.  
  
A voice in his head suddenly jumped. Aro-Ken knew it wasn't his own. 'Hit the other fighter.'  
  
Aro-Ken quickly straightened out, hoping the fighter behind him hadn't noticed.  
  
The voice spoke again, 'Keep flying. Just be a kamikaze.'  
  
His hands locked up again. It was as though he couldn't control his own body.  
  
'Come on, move, move…' he thoughts as he fought against the invisible force that was holding his hands in place. He strained harder, so hard that little beads of sweat broke out of his forehead.  
  
"Aro-Ken! Look out!" cried Del-Mon.  
  
With a yell, Aro-Ken jammed the control stick down, just missing the other fighter he'd been streaking towards. As he'd hoped, he saw a faint flash above, and knew the ship that had been after him had collided with the one he'd just missed.  
  
Sighing with relief, Aro-Ken quickly regained his stern face as he flipped around, soaring back towards the remaining five fighters.  
  
Three of them were arranged in a triangular pattern. The other two were off a distance flying near their disabled comrades, so Aro-Ken assumed that was why Del-Mon was not firing at them.  
  
As he swooped near one and passed it, there was still no blaster fire.  
  
"Master, what's going on?" he asked into the intercom.  
  
There was no reply.  
  
"Master? Master! Master, where are you?" Aro-Ken cried.  
  
He was still met with the faint static.  
  
Glancing at the scanners he saw two of the ships were coming up at him from below. There was nothing he could do-  
  
Suddenly, the orange-yellow glare of a fiery explosion could be seen in the viewport.  
  
"What the-" Aro-Ken began.  
  
His Master's voice suddenly cut him off. "Sorry about that, Aro-Ken!"  
  
The boy sighed in relief. "Master, what happened?"  
  
"I moved to the lower turret. I would have told you, but they may be tapped in to our communications. I just took out one of our friends and disabled another, the third flew got out of the way," Del-Mon explained.  
  
Aro-Ken grinned as he turned back to the viewport, but there was suddenly and explosion that rocked the ship. If Aro-Ken hadn't been strapped in, he'd probably be sprawled on the floor.  
  
He looked at the scanners and instruments that were now flashing and printing readouts.  
  
"What happened, Aro-Ken?" cried Del-Mon.  
  
"A hit at the rear from the other ship!" Aro-Ken replied as he abruptly swerved sideways to avoid another blast. He looked back at the control panel for a moment.  
  
"They took out the hyperdrive!" he said.  
  
"Oh no! Another hit back there and we'll be done for!" Del-Mon cried.  
  
"I think they know that too," Aro-Ken seriously said. The scanners were now telling him that the last three ships were closing in on him from the rear, trying to hit The Guardian in the same spot.  
  
Once again, Aro-Ken pulled his fake move on them, starting to go right and then abruptly veering off to the left.  
  
Del-Mon fired repeatedly, but was unsuccessful as the enemy fighters managed to get out of the way of his blasts.  
  
As he turned, another one of the fighters remained where it was and let Aro- Ken go around it. As he continued to turn hard, the other ship fired right where Aro-Ken would be in a moment. He couldn't outrun it, and would fly right into it unless…  
  
Without even thinking about it, Aro-Ken found his hand flashing to the engine cutoff. They abruptly halted, and the shots found empty space.  
  
As quickly as he could, Aro-Ken fired the engines back up and took off. He wasn't fast enough to avoid another shot that clipped his portside wing.  
  
As he launched into another barrel roll, Del-Mon fired repeatedly from his new position beneath the ship, and two successive blasts found their mark, taking out another ship's engine.  
  
Aro-Ken then looked around, trying to spot the other two ships, but the scanners picked them up too late. They were coming at him from either side, guns powering up.  
  
The boy jammed down the controls, trying to dive, but the move proved to be unnecessary.  
  
Four deep purple shots streaked from nowhere and hit the two enemy ships. These shots were followed by one more. Aro-Ken struggled to change his course, but flew right into it.  
  
More alarms flashed, setting off harsh sirens as well. The Guardian slowed to stop, and Aro-Ken quickly saw why.  
  
"The sublight engines are gone, and the secondary ones were taken out too," he announced.  
  
"Who took out those last fighters?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"I don't know," Aro-Ken said, looking around.  
  
He then spotted a rather large personal fighter. It had two triangular wings attached to a circular cockpit and the engine. It probably had hyperspace capabilities too. It was made of a reddish metal that was white and dented in some places from close calls.  
  
"That ship must have done it. But why just disable us and kill the other two pilots?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"I have no idea. I'll be right up," Del-Mon replied. The static quickly changed to silence.  
  
The red ship was coming towards them slowly. "It's going to board us!" Aro- Ken cried to no one in particular.  
  
"I can see that," Del-Mon commented from where he'd suddenly appeared next to the pilot's seat. He sat down next to Aro-Ken in the copilot's chair.  
  
"What should we do?" Aro-Ken nervously asked, struggling to undo the restraints holding him in the chair.  
  
"Just be ready. There's nothing else we can do," Del-Mon calmly said, removing his lightsaber from his belt.  
  
Aro-Ken managed to slither out of the large restraints and did the same. They both stood tense and ready, powerless to stop it as a boarding tube latched onto their hull from the other vessel.  
  
There was a hiss as the boarding ramp began to open…  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! It was my first try at a gunfight in space like that, so please be nice!  
  
Also, I'm sorry but you probably won't get another update in this fic until around next Monday or Tuesday because I and (I hope) many others will be participating in a boycott starting April 21st to try and save the lists category! I'll keep writing during this time, I promise! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your reviews, Lady Athielen and Katie Hayes!  
  
Also, make sure you read the note at the end of the chapter! It's important!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
As the hatch opened, Aro-Ken tightly gripped his lightsaber hilt and thumbed the activation button. When the hatch was fully open, the black figure standing before it came into the light. He suddenly recognized the person standing before him. It was the woman that had tried to capture him on Naboo.  
  
"Who are you?" Del-Mon asked, stepping forward and activating his lightsaber.  
  
The woman also stepped forward again, and Aro-Ken could make out her features better. Her long, dark blond hair was tied back now, and her green eyes were shimmering. She was still clothed in black.  
  
"We better get out of here before they dispatch any more fighters," she said, ignoring Del-Mon's question.  
  
"How do we know we can trust you?" the Jedi asked.  
  
"You don't. For all you know I'm lying and I'll just kill you when you come aboard," said the woman.  
  
"But we don't even know who you are," Aro-Ken pointed out.  
  
"Not many people do," the woman said. "No matter what I say, you probably won't believe me."  
  
"You're right about that," said Del-Mon. He still hadn't left his defensive stance.  
  
"The way I look at it is that you have three options. You can stay here, dead in space for a few minutes before they kill you, you can kill me and take my ship, or you can trust me for the time being," the woman said.  
  
Del-Mon's hard gaze stayed upon her, his mind racing. Slowly, he lowered his weapon, switching it off and clipping it to his belt.  
  
"Very well. We'll go with you," he said.  
  
Aro-Ken quickly deactivated his lightsaber as well.  
  
"Come on. We have to hurry before they get more fighters out," the woman said.  
  
The two Jedi followed her down the extended boarding tube and onto her ship. Once aboard, Aro-Ken looked around. The interior of the ship was dimly lit, and the lights seemed to have an orange glow. The room they were in was apparently a lounge. It wasn't the biggest lounge Aro-Ken had ever seen. Around the walls were small seats made of a rather unattractive gray material. In once corner was a large metal crate, and a table near the seats in another corner. The walls and floors were made of the same rust- colored metal as the hull of the ship.  
  
"Stay here. Touch anything and you'll find yourself short a finger or two," the woman said, looking mainly at Aro-Ken as she patted the lightsaber at her side. She then stalked off through one of the doors.  
  
"A bit irritable, isn't she?" asked Aro-Ken, sitting down in one of the seats along the wall.  
  
"She does like her privacy," Del-Mon commented, sitting across the room from his Padawan.  
  
"Now I need to figure out if we've been rescued or held captive," said Aro- Ken.  
  
"It's hard to tell," Del-Mon agreed.  
  
The two Jedi sat in awkward silence until the door their savior/captor left through opened again.  
  
"Well, I'd doubt you'll see your ship again. We're in hyperspace now, and right before I made the jump I saw more fighters heading towards it," the woman said, stepping into view.  
  
"Where exactly is it that we're going?" Del-Mon inquired.  
  
"Tatooine, my homeplanet. It's close enough to make with the fuel we have left and big enough to hide on," she replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Aro-Ken asked. "And who are those people after us?"  
  
"Jedi of the Shadows. It's the name of their little group," the Jedi's savior/captor said.  
  
"But who exactly are you? And why did you try and kidnap me on Naboo?" Aro- Ken inquired.  
  
"My name is Mora Dodzen. I tried to capture you because I'm one of the Jedi of the Shadows," she said.  
  
* * *  
  
Aro-Ken's voice said in the back of his mind, "Master, Mora is the woman who first confronted me on Naboo."  
  
Del-Mon jumped to his feet. "Stop this ship right now and let us off," he ordered.  
  
Mora glared at him. "No one tells me what to do on my ship," she said in a low voice.  
  
Aro-Ken uncertainly rose behind his Master.  
  
"Well I just did. Drop us off on the nearest planet," Del-Mon shot back.  
  
"Listen, Del-Mon, we're going to Tatooine," Mora furiously said.  
  
"My Padawan and I are going nowhere with someone who is trying to kill us," Del-Mon firmly said.  
  
"I'm not trying to kill you, I'm trying to help you!" Mora cried in defense.  
  
"Well, you were right earlier. I don't trust you at all. Let's go, Padawan," Del-Mon said, storming towards what he assumed was the cockpit. Aro-Ken jogged after him.  
  
"Master, are you sure-" he began.  
  
"Aro-Ken, we're getting out of here right now," Del-Mon said, opening the door.  
  
"Hey! Get out of there! You don't understand, I don't want to kill you!" Mora cried, running after them.  
  
Del-Mon pushed her aside and sat down in the pilot's seat. He quickly located the appropriate lever and threw it, bringing them out of hyperspace despite Mora's protesting.  
  
The streaks around them faded to specks, and there was a large blue, green, and white orb to the side.  
  
"What planet is that?" Aro-Ken asked, pointing to it.  
  
"It doesn't matter. That's where we're headed," Del-Mon replied as he guided Mora's ship towards it.  
  
"Will you listen to me?" Mora cried.  
  
"No," Del-Mon simply replied without turning away from the viewport.  
  
"For the sake of the Gods, I don't want to kill you!" Mora shouted. "I left the Jedi of the Shadows when I found out they did!"  
  
"I don't care. Aro-Ken, take the controls," Del-Mon said.  
  
Aro-Ken did this, guiding them towards the nearby planet.  
  
"I can explain if you would just listen to me! Let go of the controls!" Mora shouted.  
  
"Not a chance. Just like you said before, I have no idea if you're lying or not," said Del-Mon.  
  
"If you do this, I guarantee you the Jedi of the Shadows will kill you both!" cried Mora, trying unsuccessfully to grab the controls from Aro-Ken.  
  
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Del-Mon adamantly said, keeping his eyes on the viewport.  
  
"I'm telling you, you won't last a day! You're killing your Padawan doing this!" Mora yelled at him.  
  
"I will not let anybody harm Aro-Ken," said Del-Mon.  
  
"You'll try not to let anybody harm Aro-Ken, but there is no way you will succeed! The Jedi of the Shadows will not let you go alive! I'm telling you, stay here!" Mora insisted, now attempting to force Del-Mon out of the pilot's seat.  
  
The Jedi brushed her off. "I told you all ready, we're not staying here!" he shouted.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aro-Ken powering up the shields so they could enter the other planet's atmosphere safely. He'd set the course so they'd land near the outskirts of the largest visible city.  
  
"I'm telling you, if I wanted to kill you, I would have blown up your ship back there!" yelled the furious Jedi.  
  
"And I'm telling you that I still don't trust you. We're getting off once we land, and then we'll get a ride back to Coruscant," said Del-Mon. Nothing that anybody said could change Del-Mon's mind once he had made a decision.  
  
"You're killing your apprentice by doing this! Don't be a fool!" Mora shouted.  
  
"It seems the only foolish thing I've done so far is board your ship in the first place," Del-Mon coolly said.  
  
Aro-Ken lowered the landing struts and gently set the ship down. Both Jedi then rose and headed for the boarding ramp, neither of them looking back though Aro-Ken wished to. Their robes billowed around them as they stepped onto the grassy plains the new planet had to offer.  
  
"This will be the last mistake you ever make!" Mora yelled above the roar of the thrusters on her ship.  
  
"It's no longer your concern!" Del-Mon called over his shoulder as he walked away in long strides. Aro-Ken swiftly arrived at his side as they walked away from Mora without looking back.  
  
*****  
  
READ THIS!!! I know that wasn't my best chapter ever, and I apologize. Actually, that was probably my worst chapter ever. I also apologize for the delayed update, but I've had a very severe case of writers' block. I'd like everyone to know that I probably won't update this fic for a very long time. As an attempt to make up for it, I'm going to post another one of my fics about Aro and Del that is all ready finished. It's called The Triumph, and readers will enjoy it. It's much better than this, and better than The Master's Choice too. I'll put up a new chapter on it every few days, so updates will be frequent. Sorry this fic isn't working out so well, but I will still try and continue it. 


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